I am strong. (A vampire diaries/originals fan fiction)

Chapter 2- Old places and Old friends.

I drove through the centre of town.
This town. Well I wouldn’t say I missed it. But there was a certain feeling in the air when I saw the familiar streets and buildings. The memories came rushing back to me.

Flashback. 1864

After hearing word from an old friend. Katherine. I left a town in Pennsylvania. It had been 25 years since I saw Katherine last. We kept in touch through letters because Katherine and I were in hiding for so long that we barely had time to see each other.

“Where is it we are heading to?” Fredrick said.
He was a friend who was turned into a vampire in 1860 after he was dying from a shot wound. He has never strayed, a very loyal friend.

“A small town in Virginia named Mystic Falls.” I said grabbing his hand and the reins of two horses.

I evaporated us outside of town. We then mounted the horses and rode through the town of Mystic Falls. Once we made it to the address that Katherine had given me in the letter. We dismounted our horses. I fixed my dress and my hair. Fredrick tied the horses as I picked up my skirts and made my way to the house.

“Azalina!” Katherine said running out the house with her dress in her hands. As soon as she made it to me she hugged me.

“What’s going on Katherine?” I whispered.

This wasn’t her usual welcome.

“The story I told them was that I’m a poor helpless girl who just lost her family in a terrible fire.” She whispered back.

It was an alright story so I played along. I hugged her back and stepped away, I looked over at the doorway in a fast glance and saw a man and two boys.

“Oh my dear Katherine. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I rode as fast as I could.” I said loud enough for the audience to hear.

“No. It’s fine. You’re here now and that’s what matters.” Katherine said going along with my performance.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Your family were one of the nicest I knew.”

“Thank you Azalina that means a lot to me.” She said with fake tears in her eyes. She turned to Fredrick.

“Who is this?” She asked.

“This is Fredrick Holloway a friend of mine.”

“It is nice to meet you Miss Katherine. Azalina has told me so much about you.”  He said turning on the charm kissing her on the hand.

“Oh it’s nice to meet you too.” She said acting like the shy and innocent girl from her story.

“Oh my, I almost forgot. These are the kind people that let me stay here.” She said dragging me over there to meet the boys.

“Mr Salvatore and his two sons Damon and Stefan. Boys this is Azalina Hartman and Fredrick Holloway.” She said using her hands to gesture to us both.

“It’s very nice to meet you both. It would be a pleasure to have you in my home.” Mr Salvatore said holding my hands in his.

“Oh that’s is very kind of you. But I cannot accept your offer. Fredrick and I will be fine. I know one or two other people in town that I can stay with.” I said.

“It’s great to finally meet you. Katherine has told me so much about you.” Stefan said kissing me on the hand.

I sadly noticed the twinkle in his eyes when he said Katherine’s name.

“It’s great to meet you too Mr Salvatore.” I said with a smile.

“I hope that you stay in town long enough for us to get to know you?” Damon said also kissing me on the hand.

“Oh I plan on staying. I want to get to know you all.” I said smiling.

“Well you both must be famished from your journey. Please, join us for dinner.” Mr Salvatore said putting his hands on our backs leading us into the house. 

End of Flashback

We had spent many months in Mystic falls. Getting to know the families, watching the town grow. It felt strange to be back after such a long time.

I needed a place to stay and something really strong to drink. Fredrick had gone off to scope the town and find out quick escapes out of town. So I scanned the countless businesses alone and one stood out.

The Grill.

I drove over and parked in the parking right outside. I fixed my hair in my rear vision mirror then walked inside. I felt no threats so I kept walking until I then heard a name I knew. Damon. Now yes it is a common name. But it is too much of a coincidence. I walked towards where I heard the name and there, sitting at the table. With a woman by his side and talking to a man in the seat in front of him. Was Damon Salvatore.